Cooking With This Week’s Box
Shallots
- Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots (See Below)
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Shallots (See Below)
Porcelain Garlic
Photo from www.saltandlavendar.com
Red & Yellow Onions
- Spicy Sweet Onion Jam & Cheddar Grilled Cheese
- Baked Brie with Balsamic Onion Jam
- Sausage & Onion Sheet Pan Quiche
Sweet Potatoes
- Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry
- Fluffy Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Black Bean Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Orange Carrots
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Grilled Beef Short Rib Tacos with Roasted Carrot Butter & Pickled Radishes
Peter Wilcox Potatoes
Jester or Starry Night or Heart of Gold Squash
- Roasted (Acorn) Squash with Maple Bacon Drizzle
- Honey Butter Roasted (Acorn) Squash with Burrata and Pomegranate
Autumn Frost Squash
- Butternut (Autumn Frost) Squash, Caramelized Onion & Feta Pie
- Risotto with Sunchokes, Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola
Rutabaga
Rutabaga
Red Cabbage or Kohlrabi
Parsnips
Red Sunchokes
News from the Farm
Can you believe we’re in the final month of the year and the 2023 CSA delivery season?! Our valley is blanketed in white, and this week was a reality check with single-digit temperatures! We’ve pulled out our insulated pants, snow boots and lots of layers of clothing as we work in the chilly outdoors. In the kitchen, I finally feel like I’m ready for soup to be a mainstay on the menu each week and it’s time to start doing more long, slow braises. These final two CSA boxes of the delivery season will hold a lot of vegetables, some of which you’ll use over the next two weeks, but I’m guessing many households may have extra vegetables to carry over into the new year. No worries—everything in these final boxes has storage potential. So, as you unpack your box this week, take a little extra time to make sure you store each vegetable appropriately and check in on them periodically. If you notice something starting to sprout or a bad spot starting to form, it’s time to use that item. If you have some root vegetables that get a little dehydrated, don’t throw them out! Use them in a soup, stew or a pot of meat or vegetable broth. They’re still usable and they’ll rehydrate in the liquid.
Ok, let’s dive into cooking! This week’s featured CSA vegetable is Shallots. Shallots often provide a nice, subtle, sophisticated background flavor; however, I chose two featured recipes this week that use shallots in a more forward manner. Check out this recipe for Whipped Rutabaga with Crispy Shallots (See Below). This would be a great side dish to serve with roasted chicken or braised beef. This other recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Shallots (See Below) showcases the beauty of roasting shallots to bring out their natural sweetness.
Vegetable Feature: Shallots
by Andrea Yoder
Shallots are similar in appearance to an onion, but they are not “just another onion.” The variety we grow has an elongated shape with rosy, pink skin and thin, purple layers on the inside. Shallots are both strong and delicate at the same time. We like to describe it as elegant and sophisticated, meaning the flavor remains bold, but balanced and soft around the edges. It’s kind of hard to explain but pay attention when you start to use them, and I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about!
Shallots are a key ingredient in many French sauces such as Hollandaise, Bearnaise, and Bordelaise as well as vinaigrettes. Shallots really shine in these applications, not so much as the main event, but rather for the flavorful foundation they lay for these preparations. The flavor of the shallots infuses into the sauce and while you can’t specifically taste the shallot, you would know if it were missing. Shallots may be eaten both raw and cooked. When cooking, keep the heat gentle so as not to burn them. They do have a natural sweetness to them that can turn bitter if you burn them. That natural sweetness also makes them a great candidate for roasting and caramelizing! They are tasty incorporated into egg dishes, braised meats, sliced thinly and added to fresh vegetables, and incorporated into marinades and vinaigrettes. Crispy fried shallots also make a delicious garnish for soups, sautéed greens, and mashed roots.
Shallots store well throughout the fall and winter if kept in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. If you notice a sprout starting to shoot up, just remove it and use the remainder of the shallot.
Missed Last Week’s News? Find it HERE.
